Tragedy of the Stars: A Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Short Story
by OneOneTwo
Summary: Blanc the White Yoshi is an astronaut that works for REXA (The Rainbow Exploration Agency). This lonely Yoshi gets sent on a mission with his brigade when tragedy strikes. This is a short story and will only have two chapters. This has a significantly darker tone than The Greatest Enemy. It is mainly based off of Lunar Colony from Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
1. Chapter 1: Loneliness

**Tragedy of the Stars: A Super Mario Short Story**

Chapter 1: Loneliness

 **A/N: This is the beginning of a two chapter short story about the Mario universe that is not intended to have any connections with any of my other stories. It was originally intended to be a one shot but I decided it would be better as two chapters. I hope you all enjoy it but be warned that it will have a significantly darker tone than** _ **The Greatest Enemy**_ **and will therefore rated T for Teens instead of K+. Also, this story is primarily influenced by the first Mario game on the Nintendo Switch, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Without further ado, this is** _ **Tragedy of the Stars: A Super Mario Short Story**_ **! Enjoy!**

I looked outside the window to my barrack to see the green-blue hues of The Earth, the rocky, grey surface of The Moon, and the twinkling stars shining bright in the night sky. I've been on the surface of The Moon in a place called Lunar Colony for the past month, working for an organization called the Rainbow Exploration Agency, or REXA. Even though it's only been a month, it feels like a year. I'm the only Yoshi in the entire base, everyone else is some other Mushroom Kingdom creature. I'm also a White Yoshi, a rare kind of Yoshi that isn't seen often in the Mushroom Kingdom.

"All pilots in Brigades 1 through 10 please report to Dock C1," a robotic voice on the intercom stated. I sighed, dreading the day that was ahead of me. Being the only Yoshi on the space station, I had no friends and no family. I feel like everyone looks down upon me just because of who I am. I walked out my dorm room and into the hallway of Sector D. Lunar Colony is comprised of four sectors, each of which have two docks in which space shuttles could take off. I walked from Sector D through a gateway like those seen in an airport to Sector C and then down the hallway and through a set of double doors to Dock C1. I lined up with my brigade, Brigade 8, or as the other members like to call it, Brigade 8 Deluxe. The commander, a White Shy Guy named Withe, started to call out the names of the brigade members.

"Lucy," he called, and a hyper medium sized Goomba jumped in the air, as she doesn't have hands,

"I'm here! I'm here!" she shouted

"Stu," he called next. An overconfident male Red Toad raised his hand,

"Of course I'm here, what, do you think I'd be at the snack bar? Oh wait, I would," everyone laughed at his attempt at a joke except for the commander and I.

"Be quiet, soldier, or else you do everyone's laundry," he snapped. He then shut up, and I smiled to myself, as he had to do that once, and it was hilarious to watch.

"Ess," he called next. A bored female Boo raised her hand, looking for something else to do.

"Here," she stated in a dry, bored tone.

"Alright, that should be everyone," Commander Withe said. I rolled my eyes, expecting this and raised my hand.

"Did I miss anyone?" he asked, "Oh, right, Blanc. Sorry, you're always so quiet." Everyone snickered at me, and it looked like I didn't hear anyone on the outside, but on the inside I was angry at all the members, even Withe. Withe cleared his throat and motioned everyone to sit down at a futuristic electronic looking table. Everyone did, and I had to stand because

"Anyways, now that you're all present, here is today's briefing. I was talking with the other brigade commanders and we agree it is time to explore a newly discovered Rainbow Road that we may be able to use pieces of in order to repair Wii U Rainbow Road so it can be used in the next Special Cup." The other three brigade members cheered, while I simply clapped.

"Yes, this is great," the commander continued, "our job is to pilot the space shuttle to go to the Rainbow Road." Commander Withe then pulled out a notepad from his pocket,

"Now, here is everyone's job." Everyone listened attentively, including me.

"Lucy, your job is co-pilot. You'll be assisting the pilot in his journey." Lucy smiled,

"Yay! I get to fly a spaceship!" Everyone else was charmed by her hyperactivity and passion, but I found it to be slightly annoying, especially when I advise her to do something.

"Stu, you will be on pod duty. You'll be the one who collects the portions of the Rainbow Road and then storing it in the pod on the ship.

"Yes! I told you I'd be doing pod duty Lucy, you owe me 10 Coins." Lucy laughed and gave Stu 10 gold Coins. Commander Withe stayed stoic and continued reading off his notes,

"Ess, you'll be in mission control advising everyone else."

"Yay, I get to be an advisor," she said unenthusiastically.

"As for you, Blanc," I zoned out at this point, but snapped back into focus once he said my name, "you are the pilot." Everyone gasped and was up in arms.

"Why does he get to be the pilot? I want to fly the ship!" Lucy said angrily, "I'm way more active than he is," shooting a glare at me, which I chose to ignore.

"He doesn't even talk to us," Ess said in the same unenthusiastic tone as before.

"I mean, come on commander!" Stu said maliciously, "just look at him, he never speaks to anyone, isn't athletic, he's a nerd, and his name is a misspelling of 'blank'."

"Actually, it's French for 'white'," I corrected him.

"Does it look like I care?" Stu shot back.

"Everyone, settle down," the commander shouted, silencing everyone.

"Blanc is pilot and that is final. He passed the space shuttle flight class with an A+, which none of you have even come close to achieving. Lucy, you're only co-pilot because you got a C instead of an F," he said, looking at Stu and Ess, "he may be quiet, but he knows what he is doing. You will listen to him or you'll hear from me. Understand?" Everyone was silent but looking at me visibly annoyed, even Ess, who normally shows no emotion. Commander Withe looked at me as well, but shot me a gaze that said, 'I have faith in you.'

"Good. Now that we have roles sorted out, I will be on the space shuttle with you as commander. We meet back here in 30 minutes. Brigade 8 dismissed." Everyone got up from the table and went to their separate dorm rooms. Most people share a dorm room but I am alone due to there being an odd number of brigade members. Commander Withe shared with Stu and Lucy shared with Ess. I began to walk back to my dorm when Commander Withe stopped me.

"Blanc, we need to talk," he said with concern. I stopped walking and listened to what he had to say.

"Is everything alright? You haven't been to any social events, you rarely ever talk to anyone besides me, and you seem distant and depressed most of the time." I knew what he was talking about, but I really didn't care about anyone in the brigade, as I view them all as jerks. Commander Withe is a good commander, but I just don't like him too much. I contemplated what to say, but ended up not saying anything and walking away.

"If you ever need to talk, I'm here!" the commander shouted after me. I pretended not to hear him as I walked through the double doors back into Sector D. I walked into my dorm room surveying it for anything I needed. I looked around and saw the picture of my family. In it were my father, who stuck out his tongue as the picture was taken, and my mother, who jumped into the air and was flutter jumping to stay there. Finally, there was me riding on the back of my father's saddle, looking like I was having the best time of my life. I sighed,

"Mom, Dad, you wanted me to follow my dreams to be an astronaut, well, I guess I'm doing it." I laughed curtly and sighed again, feeling a sense of nostalgia for the time of the picture. I quickly realized it had almost been 30 minutes and grabbed my notebook full of space shuttle flying instructions, my phone, and then left the dorm rushing back to Dock C1. I was the first one there so I waited for everyone else. Withe showed up first, then Lucy and Ess, and finally Stu.

"Everyone," Commander Withe said, "get into your positions." Everyone nodded and said,

"Yes, sir," Brigade 8 responded.

Ess left the room for mission control, while everyone else entered the space shuttle. It was colored grey and had the REXA logo along the back with the Special Cup logo on the nose of the shuttle. We entered the shuttle through a door and I sat down in the pilot's seat. Lucy and Commander Withe sat next to me and Stu headed for the other end of the ship.

"I should have been the pilot," Stu muttered as he sat in the seat meant for going outside of the space ship. Since everyone normally wears their space suit, everyone simply put their helmets down as Ess spoke in her normal tone of voice through the communicator on the dashboard.

"Stu, are you ready?"

"Is water blue?" he asked. I laughed and said,

"Actually, it could be described as clear…"

"Shut up, Blank!" Stu shouted, incorrectly pronouncing my name.

"It's Blanc," I responded

"I swear…" Stu said, getting angry.

"I'll take that as a yes," Ess said, "Lucy, are you ready?"

"I'm ready to fly! Woohoo!" Lucy shouted, possibly shattering my ears.

"Commander, are you ready?" Ess asked.

"Yes," the commander said.

"We're good to go," she said.

"Wait? What about me?" I asked frantically.

"Ready for take off in 3," she continued

"I'm here too!" I shouted, trying to make my voice heard.

"2,"

"Ess! I need to give you the all clear!"

"1 and 0." She pressed a button, signaling the ship's departure. I sighed, but ultimately started up the ship's engines, not noticing the blinking red light flashing on the dashboard.


	2. Chapter 2: Tragedy

**Tragedy of the Stars: A Super Mario Short Story**

Chapter 2: Tragedy

The ship took off, and I was loving the flight. I gripped the ship's seat as it took off at blistering speed from Lunar Colony. It soared off of the Moon and in a matter of seconds, I could see the craters of The Moon as well as Lunar Colony itself. I smiled at the excellent view

"Spaceship Blooper is clear, over" Commander Withe spoke into the communicator. I snapped back into focus,

"We are currently moving at about 25,000 miles per hour, over" I added. Ess, who was back on The Moon, nodded to herself,

"Roger that. I am having some trouble getting readings on your ship. Is everything okay? Over." I checked the ship's readings, still not noticing the blinking red light, and spoke back into the communicator,

"We seem to be in tip-top shape, over."

"Roger that, alert mission control or I if anything goes even a little awry, over," Ess said, almost dozing off at her station in mission control. The room she was in was massive. There were computers everywhere, or so I heard. I've never actually been in there. Commander Withe kept telling me there was no reason to. I kept steering the stip and kept it on course when Lucy and Stu started talking,

"So Lucy, you excited about yet another trip to space, where I get to do the most important job again?" Stu asked.

"Of course I am excited! Wait, not the second part, but the first part." Lucy responded, giggling. I just rolled my eyes as the conversation became more stupid as it went along. Commander Withe started talking to me,

"You find the conversation these two are having stupid?" I looked at him with a surprised stare.

"Looks like I just read your mind," the commander laughed.

"Listen, Blanc. I know I forget about you sometimes, and that's my fault, but you are truly special. You look at things very differently, from an analytical point of view instead of a subjective point of view, and that's great! However, because of that, people are prone to judging you and making fun of you. I'll be honest, I was the same way at some point. I never really had that many friends. Heck, some of the commanders of the other brigades are downright aggravating to listen to." I laughed at that comment.

"What i'm trying to say is...don't put yourself down. You're a great person, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise." My parents had told me this before, but I always ignored them and thought that it was stupid that they were saying that. However, listening to Commander Withe tell me this changed something. It made me feel better about myself. I always was awkward around others, but I felt better about the situation with the brigade after hearing this. As I was thinking, Ess suddenly spoke into the communicator.

"You arrived at the Rainbow Road sight, or whatever," she said with a more bored accent than before.

"Yay! We're at the new Rainbow Road!" Lucy squealed really loudly. At that point, I got really annoyed,

"Geez Lucy! Can you keep your voice down for once? The noise calculator on the ship calculated 80 decibels! That is literally as much noise as a car makes!" Lucy glared at me,

"It's not my fault I'm so loud and proud," she said with an air of snobbishness.

"Yeah," Stu said, "pick on someone your own size!" At that point, I lost it,

"If you don't shut up Stu, I swear I am going to defenestrate you." Everyone looked at me confused,

"Is that another one of your nerd words?" Stu taunted.

"Actually, yes, it is. It means to throw someone out of a window." Everyone laughed, even Ess who normally never laughs, except for Commander Withe.

"You all are a bunch of immature idiots," he said loudly for everyone to hear, "Stu, just get outside the ship before...you know, he throws you out the window." he pointed at me. Everyone shut up and Stu begrudgingly got ready to exit the ship. Unfortunately, at that point, I noticed the blinking red light. I gasped and panicked as I realized what this meant,

"Wait, everyone, wait!" I screamed, but no one listened, "I know why Ess hasn't been getting readings! The sensors are broken!" I quickly checked the ship's statistics manually only to realize the protective shield of the stabilizer was coming off. Once Stu opened the door, the solar wind would be enough to rip the shield clean off exploding the stabilizer and leaving the ship to rot away.

"Stu! Don't open the door!" I shouted.

"Why shouldn't I?" he asked menacingly, "Are you jealous of me going out into space? This is why no one likes you, Blank. All you do is make every situation bad by nosing into other's conversations and friendships. Ever since you joined this brigade, the commander has always viewed you as the favorite. I WAS THE FAVORITE! I AM SUPPOSED TO BE THE FAVORITE!" he started to shout, and I suddenly realized why everyone was so against me. I sighed as I thought about this,

"I'm sorry Stu. I didn't mean for this to happen," I said with apology in my voice. Stu laughed curtly, but then changed his tone dramatically. It was one I had never seen before, it was one of sadness,

"Apology accepted. Now, Blank, no, Blanc, let's get this job over and done with,"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" I shouted. Stu opened the door, and that's where it all went downhill. The stabilizer exploded, rocking the ship. The explosion killed Stu instantly, as the stabilizer blew up into miniscule pieces. Everyone gasped as they started to realize what was going on,

"Guys, what was that?" Ess said, starting to get concerned.

"We're gonna die! We're gonna die! Help! I'm too young to die!" Lucy started shouting over and over. Ess scrambled to figure out what was going on,

"Guys, what happened, why can't I get readings on the ship, and where is Stu?"

Everyone tensed.

"Ess," Commander Withe started sadly, "The stabilizer blew up, the sensors are destroyed, and Stu is dead." Ess gasped, unsure of how to take everything in. "I...I didn't know...This is all my fault...The only reason I acted bored is because I don't know how to react to things…" I heard Ess start to cry. She got up and ran away. Lucy and Commander Withe looked really scared,

"Blanc, you are the pilot and the most knowledgeable about space shuttles. What do we do here?" I thought for a moment, unsure of what exactly to do. The ship was blaring alarms and lights all over the place, and it was stressing me out.

"I…"

"Well?" Lucy asked impatiently

"Give him some time," Commander Withe snapped. I started pacing, knowing my time was running short.

"I'm done waiting!" Lucy screamed, "It's obvious you have no plan, so you know what? I'm out! See ya! Wouldn't want to be ya!" Lucy dashed out of the room.

"Lucy! Wait!" Commander Withe shouted. Lucy dashed to the escape pod room, entered the escape pod, and ejected from it. I paused for a moment, halting my train of thought in its place.

"Did Lucy just use the escape pod?" I asked timidly.

"Yeah. Why?" Commander Withe asked. I sighed and shook my head as the escape pod blew up, killing Lucy.

"That part of the ship is unstable if the stabilizer blows up. Gosh, did anyone read the instruction manual?!" I screamed.

"Blanc!" Commander Withe snapped. "Lucy is dead! Two out of the five Brigade 8 members are dead!" It didn't hit me until the commander said that.

"Right, two lives were lost…" and then I did something I never thought I would do. I started to cry. Commander Withe came over,

"I'm...I'm sorry, I really have to stop yelling. Now, Blanc, do you have any idea how we are going to get out of this mess?" I tried to stem my crying, but I kept crying harder.

"Blanc, I believe in you. I'll be frank, you are probably the smartest person in Brigade 8, even smarter than me. Stop putting so much pressure on yourself. Now, how do we get out of here?" I wiped my tears off, and thought clearly for a second of a plan. Suddenly, the idea popped into my head. I knew what I had to do.

"Commander. Follow me." I said. By this point, we were both out of our seats and I moved through Spaceship Blooper (which looked like a Blooper) towards its tentacles. Right next to the escape pods was a Return Pipe, an item that allows the user to return to their last safe location.

"Commander, you are going to use that jetpack to escape and try to find another ship. Call for help," I explained. Commander Withe shook his head,

"Then what will happen to you?" he asked. I cringed, as I knew what my fate would be. I took a moment to sift through my memories of everything I had done. I thought back specifically to one moment, where I was talking to my mother and father.

" _Blanc, you've been reading that manual on how to fly a spaceship for four straight days, you need some sun." my father said to me, with me sitting in the living room._

" _But father, I need to study for my pilot exam tomorrow," I replied, not looking up from my book._

" _He's right, you know," my mother said. She used her long tongue to grab an apple that was sitting on the kitchen counter._

" _Here's something to eat honey," she said affectionately, giving me the apple. I laughed, took the apple and ate it, savoring its sweet taste._

" _You haven't talked to anyone in quite a few days, son. Are you feeling okay?" My father asked with concern._

" _I'm all right father," I said sadness creeping into my voice._

" _Talk to me son, what's wrong?" my father asked. My mother nodded. I sighed, and unloaded all of my problems, trying my best not to shed a tear._

" _It's just, I feel lonely all the time. I feel as if no one wants me to succeed nor cares of my existence. I have almost zero friends, and even if I pass the exam, I probably will know no one in my brigade. I just...wish I had a friend. I mean, my goal in life is to help others." My mother put her hand on my shoulder, and I turned around to look at her._

" _You always have us, honey. Also, you do help others, and that is what you will do until the day you die. Never forget that."_

Those last 25 words echoed in my head as I knew what I needed to do. I turned to face Commander Withe,

"Withe." He wheeled around, shocked to hear me address him not as a commander.

"Right now, you are not my commander. You are my friend," I started, and Withe had a confused look on his face. "My original purpose for joining REXA is to help others. I also came here with the intention of making friends. At first, I wasn't doing either, but now, I achieved my goal of making a friend. You. And, I'm going to achieve the other. Use the Return Pipe Withe, you deserve to survive this mess more than I do." Withe looked dumbstruck.

"Blanc, I...I'm your commander. It is my duty to put others ahead of me. I know you are pilot, but you will listen to my order. You will use that Return Pipe, and you will leave me behind. Do you understand?" I hesitated for a moment, with the blaring sounds and explosions starting around me as the Spaceship Blooper started to fall apart. Finally, I made my decision,

"Sorry Withe, you aren't my commander anymore. I've done my duty to help others, I am satisfied with my outcome," Withe looked even more dumbstruck, "The only thing I ask you to do is to tell my parents I love them. That's all. Good bye, Withe." And with that, I shoved the Return Pipe in his face and tried to hold up his hands, which would result in him activating it, but he resisted.

"No! I am not leaving you behind! Blanc! You do not need to do this!" he shouted at me, his white clothes bellowing in the explosions. I screamed as I started to overpower Withe, lifting his hands,

"YES. I. DO! THIS. IS. MY. DUTY!" I screamed, as I finally lifted the Pipe above his head, activating it. Withe screamed as he started to spin around.

"Blanc! Noooooooooooooooo!" After about 5 seconds, a chime played as he warped out of the ship. I sighed, feeling exhausted as Withe was quite strong. I took one last look at the explosions piling up around me. I closed my eyes, thinking about my life. My struggles, my achievements, my loneliness, and Withe, how he was the only friend I ever had, even if he occasionally forgot my name. I sighed,

"I achieved my purpose," I said, as my world collapsed in on myself, and my consciousness shot out of my body, which now lay dormant on the ship, towards the gleaming, glowing, stars.

 **A/N: And that is Tragedy of the Stars: A Super Mario Short Story. I hope you all enjoyed this really short two chapter story about Blanc. Please leave reviews and tell me if you like this style of writing. It was interesting making this, as a tragic story is something I don't have a lot of experience with. Anyways, be sure to check out my other story, The Greatest Enemy: A Super Mario Fanfiction! Thanks so much for reading and have a great day! :D**


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